Empath, Steal Away
by Socks-The-Kitsune
Summary: Krad hates Halloween. The sight, the smell, and the unnamed creatures that roam. They feed off of your emotions...live from them, and steal them. [DarkxKrad]Eventually.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Yes, another D.N.Angel story from Socks. Sorry I keep doing this, instead of updating my other stories. ; Don't worry though! They'll get done, I promise!

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**Chapter One**

Krad despises this holiday. It's meaningless, purely for the sake of kids being on their own, dressed up as strange creatures, and getting free candy from people that they don't even know. There's no special meaning to it, at all. Most holidays have good reason to be celebrated, such as Christmas, Easter, and even July fourth. Halloween has no respect from Krad. None whatsoever.

The door creeks open, turning the blondes gaze to the pair in the doorway. Immediately he sighs and turns away, looking back out the image of the setting sun. Dark pinks and purples, instead of the bright blue that usually is the sky. Everything changes at night, it seems. Inside, and out, nothing is the same as when the sun shines on everyone and everything.

"Daisuke, I said I'm not going." He says firmly.

"But, Kra-ad! We can't go by ourselves!" The younger one pouts.

"Exactly, so c'mon. It's not like you have anything better to do, right?" The blue-haired child adds.

"Satoshi, I'd rather sit here and watch the grass grow, than go out there and listen to a bunch of children scream about how much candy they have, and how scary that one dude's costume is. Get mom to go with you, because I'm not going to."

"But mom said-"

"Like I care! She's not _my_ mother, and you two brats _aren't_ my brothers! Now get out!"

The red-head's eyes slightly glaze over by the harsh words of his foster-brother, but the other seems to shrug off the attack. He knows that he and Krad aren't brothers, and accepts it. The two aren't that close to begin with anyways. Daisuke and Krad, on the other hand, usually get along very well, unless it comes to this specific holiday. Every year Daisuke asks Krad to trick-or-treat with him, and every year, the answer is no. Daisuke has yet to figure out why, but knows it's more than what Krad says the reason is. _"It's for stupid kids who think the world revolves around candy."_ This is what appears to be the blonde's interpretation of the holiday.

Too bad for the angry sixteen-year-old, this year is different from the rest. His foster-mother and father are going out for the night, and now it's mandatory that he goes with his younger brothers. There's no longer a choice in the matter. Just as Daisuke and Satoshi begin to leave, there's a yell from downstairs.

"Krad, you _are_ taking your brothers out, and that's final!" Emiko yelled.

**XxXxXxX**

The blonde grumbles absently as the trio walk down the steps, just as the sun is setting. Already the sounds of laughing and screaming children are filling the small town, and already he's rushing from house to house just to get home all the quicker. Of course, Daisuke and Satoshi are enjoying themselves too much to rush, for they're still on the first house. Taking their time crossing yards, talking, and eating their candy as they collect more.

After merely five or so minutes, the older teen gets bored with walking with his "little brothers," and decides that waiting somewhere away from all of the noise would be best for him. _'If I hear 'Trick or Treat' one more time, I'm going to freaking choke myself with that damned candy!' _He yells inwardly.

The alley-way he chooses doesn't end the screams and laughs, but it sure helped enough to calm him down some. It wasn't like it was a damp, dark, creepy alley, like you'd expect. It was well-lit, kids were crossing through, though rarely, and it was basically like the space between two houses. Only difference was that they were buildings. He sighs deeply and leans against the wall of one of the buildings, looking up towards the sky.

**XxXxXxX**

Finally, it's almost over. This holiday that he so deeply despises is coming to a halt after two long hours. But just then, a sudden shiver runs down his spine. Have you ever gotten the feeling that you're being watched? The feeling of a strangers eyes following your every move? Frozen under the gaze of someone who may not even be there? To Krad, it's one of the worst feelings, especially on a night like this.

Just as the thought crosses to bring the kids home, the one light keeping him from the darkness, burns out. _'Just my fucking luck.'_ Grumbling lightly, he pushes himself off of the wall and begins walking in the direction of Satoshi and Daisuke. He blinks a few times before realizing that they're no where to be found; from where he was anyways. No sign of the little red-head, or the icy-haired kid.

Just as Krad decides to run to find them, a small, warm breeze brushes the back of his neck. Shuddering instantly, he whirls his head around to scan the scene behind him. Nothing. Absolutely nothing to be found. Rubbing the back of his neck, and still facing behind him, he begins to exit the darkened alley once more. _'Aren't breezes usually…cooler? That was almost like…breath…'_

A harsh pound on the brick walls turns the blonde's gaze to front and center to see, with wide eyes, a large dent in the side wall with the fist resting in that very place. His eyes move, examining the arm, 'till they reach the face of the owner. Messy, violet hair is left drifting in the small gusts of wind, and redish-purple orbs narrow excitedly. In immediate response to the sight before him, Krad pushes himself against the wall, in the hopes of getting further and further away. A smirk with slightly bared fangs appears to the teen's obvious fear.

Golden eyes begin to glaze over with forming tears, due to the situation at hand. A spark of curiosity appears in the red orbs as their owner raises a simply raises one hand towards the fear-stricken boy. As expected, this action causes a violent twitch, and the forming tears to finally fall. This forces a sinister chuckle from the predator.

"Hello there." The deep voice says.

"…m-master?" The blonde stutters out.

"Master? Either you're saying it out of habit, or you're afraid to get hurt. Could it possibly be both?" He drawls lazily.

"…"

"Does that mean that you're not going to fight this time?"

Once again, the mysterious figure is left without a response. The teen in front of him is frozen due to the cold weather, and pure fear. Taking this as a 'yes,' the smirk on the creatures face widens as he kneels beside the human in front of him.

Krad gazes absently as the colours of the demon's eyes become more vibrantly red, like the colour of blood, or a rose. Take your pick. The glow was bright, yet dull, blinding, yet beautiful. Too much so to even look away from it. The blonde's mind began to spin, and his vision slowly faded to black. Everything around him became duller, and duller, and duller, until nothing more was to be seen. Red eyes reverted to their original state, widening in amusement at the now unconscious figure on the cold alley floor. Humming lightly to himself a very sorrowful, low-beat tune, the demon picks the blonde up into his arms. Then a light wind picks up as black, feathered wings sprout from said demon's back, and he takes flight.

These creatures are similar to that of a vampire, but hold many different qualities. This creature hunts only on all Hallows Eve, and Halloween Night, for they are easier to take down than a vampire, and fear their hunt will be ruined with too many ordinary people. On Halloween, no one would suspect their fangs, strangely coloured eyes, and wings to be abnormal, as most would view it as merely a costume.

No, they do not drink the blood of their victims, but feed off of their positive emotions. They feed to the point of which all there is is sorrow, regret, depression, insecurity, and even the possible suicidal thought. To keep their 'pets' throughout an entire year, this creature will encourage the prisoner, give out a false sense of security for a month or two, before snatching it away, and sucking in the high hopes they had given their victims.

Most of the time, once a new Halloween dawns on the world, they throw their former prisoner back to where they were found, leave them, and look for new, fresh prey. However, some, though rare it is, like to keep certain victims that they've had in the past. The ones that took longer to break down to a purely negative, depressed soul. The humans that continuously help the hope of returning home someday to their families and loved ones. Much to their misfortune, this only keeps them away for longer.

Krad Hikari, was once of the "special" victims of these unnamed creatures.

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**A/N: **_So, what did'ja think? Bad? Good? Depending, I might continue this. So, review please!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED. Just to let you all know. I found tons of spelling and grammar errors, because before I was using WordPad. I still need to buy Microsoft Word, because I only had a free trial that came with the computer. Lame.

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"_Yeah it's holding me, morphing me  
And forcing me to strive  
To be endlessly cold within  
And dreaming I'm alive  
Cause I want it now (I want it now)  
Give me your heart and your soul  
And I'm breaking down (I'm breaking out)  
Last chance to lose control."_

**-Muse: Hysteria**

* * *

Often the nose senses things before the eyes are able to open; catching especially familiar scents. This was a smell that Krad had known...slightly too well. Days, and days, turning to weeks and weeks, cooped up, tired, hungry, dirty, and sick, then the stench to top it all off. The cliché scent of blood--it was basically permanent in that particular room along with others in what he assumed was a building. The few times that he had found himself able to wander around, he noticed elevators. They were broken down and obviously not operational. Any windows and doors that may have been there weren't able to be seen from the areas that he had been to.

When Krad was finally fully awake he sat up groggily, taking in the visual surroundings. It wasn't that dark, oddly enough, but there wasn't enough light to see certain things like the colors of the walls, if the door was open or closed or simple things like that. However, he did recognize the sofa he had been lying on, and the table right next to it. He chuckled bitterly, running a hand along the worn out wood of the end-table and taking another full scan of the area. "Nothing's changed..." he said gravely. "But I suppose hell doesn't often change, does it?"

"Oh, Krad, there's no reason to be so negative." A voice said sarcastically.

Immediately Krad looked up at the door in horror and his hand fell off of the end-table, falling straight to his side. The monster had already begun approaching the shaking teenager by the time he had even noticed the movement. The memories came flooding back in rapid waves; things that had not touched the edges of his mind since his day of release all those years ago. Due to this "reunion", tears easily made their way down the blonde's face, and his eyes already reddened.

"Odd. You seem completely uninterested in where your brothers are. Don't you want to know if they're okay?"

Krad nodded quickly, leaning forward. "Please, tell me where they are! They're okay, right? Right?" The panic was extremely obvious in his voice, along with desperation. Dark gave him a fake look of hurt, as if he were offended.

"I would never hurt them! How could you accuse me of such a thing?"

There was no answer, only more panicking. The teen's words were jumbled together with lack of thought or sense. Not even Dark could make out exactly what he was saying, but he got the general idea. Krad was definitely freaking out. _'Well, that doesn't play out very well, now does it?' _So, instead of taunting Krad further, he sighed and sat next to the hysterical blonde.

"I promise they're okay. You know how this works. I know you remember. I have no reason to hurt them."

The statements were calmed, neither harsh nor caustic, but blunt, and also true. As much as Krad was scared for his life and those of his brothers, and wanted to believe that the creature was lying, he knew that it was all on target. Realizing this, he took one deep breath and laid his face in his hands and closed his eyes as the shaking hindered.

Now his only insecurity was this; how could one be so calm around such a terrible "person?" A person that tormented you, abused you mentally and physically? The person who brought you to a prison out of nowhere while you were minding your own business, and treated it like it was nothing horrible. The one who used you to keep themselves alive and plenty satisfied, then dropped you off in the middle of an unfamiliar place, with nothing to eat, nowhere to live, and no one to go to. It was a puzzling thought that Krad was actually...trusting of the being that had, as he put it, "ruined his life" and now seemed to be after the lives of his two brothers.

"Take me to them. I want to see them right now, and they'd better be alive."

"Excuse me? Damn, you've turned into quite the brat, haven't you? Just because you're a few years older doesn't put you in any better of a position, Krad. Do us a favor and use your brain while you're here. You didn't last time, and it did cost you dearly. You wouldn't want to repeat that part of your history, now would you?"

'_Yeah, and I really wanted to repeat this part, I'm sure.'_

He got the message, no doubt about that, and he wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon. He also got the notion that it was only the demanding tone in his voice, and so he decided to try again. Instead of that demanding tone, he turned his gaze to the floor, staring now at his bare feet with a look of sincere regret and fear on his face.

"Can you please take me to see them? I just need to know if they're alright."

"That's much better. Was that so hard? Of course I'll let you see them."

Dark stood in front of the opened door, and motioned for Krad to follow.

**xXxXx**

Krad stared almost aimlessly at his two sleeping brothers. He was admittedly disappointed that he didn't get to talk to them, to tell them that everything was going to be okay. At the same time, though, he was glad that they weren't awake to even know the situation. He smiled a bit at the thought of how much luckier they were than he had been. Now his only hope was that Dark would be nice enough to let them sleep through it all. Maybe he would let them go if he agreed to stay.

"See? You know I'm not a liar."

Krad mumbled something in response, but it couldn't really be heard.

"What'd you say? I couldn't hear you."

"I said…" he trailed off for a few moments and then began again. "I said that I never doubted it for a moment."

This immediately caught the creature's interest. Getting the blonde to trust him when he was even younger and more gullible had been proven to be an impossible task. Then there he went in the complete opposite direction. Dark smiled as well. The comment gave him a strange feeling of accomplishment, mostly because he hadn't really ever tried to gain this trust. Krad turned and left the room with Dark following close behind and then closing the door quietly behind him. Suddenly the thief got the feeling of extreme light-headedness. _'It's amazing how happy he is right now. His brothers' lives are all that matters to him. So…he's happy if they're okay…' _Dark's new discovery sure did give him leverage, and a renewed life-source.

"Hey, Krad."

He turned around, and it seemed almost as though he knew what was coming. Then again, at the same time, he looked completely oblivious. Sort of like how the glass is technically half empty and half full. He was suddenly pulled extremely close to the older one, and a pair of hands intertwined with his own. Then Krad felt the familiar daze taking over. During which, he heard Dark's voice from very close to his ear; not whispering, but in a low and controlled monotone.

"You do trust me, don't you, Krad?"

He breathed in deeply, trying to control the light-headedness he was experiencing. And in that same breath Dark could barely hear him say yes. His accomplished smile was almost automatically replaced with a cocky smirk. Then everything was silent for a few moments, and during the quiet they could only feel the pulsing and heart beats. Each pulse sent off waves to Dark's own body, while draining Krad's. The dizziness was almost completely in control, and Dark's smirk fled after he heard the blonde speak again before he fell unconscious.

"Just please, please, please…don't disappoint me…"

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"_Don't you disappoint me.  
You can lay me on your table and cut me up with your scalpel  
I'll slip on the concrete just to get it right.  
I'm your fool of all fools."_

**-Wow, Owls!: 1989: The Best Four Years Of My Life**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Back in school they never taught us  
what we needed to know.  
Like how to deal with despair,  
or someone breakin' your heart.  
For twelve years I've held it all together,  
but a night like this is beggin' to pull me apart."_

**-Brand New: Seventy Times Seven**

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Crashes sounded through the empty halls. He was _disgusted_ by the room he was placed in. Everything had been set up so _nicely_ as though he were supposed to _enjoy_ his stay. A dim light and a warm bed with heavy blankets, along with a warm color tone on the walls to match. It was meant to be so _comfortable._ This, however, only added to the rage that Krad was having issues controlling...had he really been trying to control them, that is. The dim lamp light was the first thing to go; it being picked up and thrown against the wall to break and dent the wall. The blonde paced around the room nervously, constantly scratching at his arms and pulling at locks of his hair. 

"God damn it--motherfucking...damn it, damn it, damn it!" He screamed as a large chunk of the wall was plowed in by his fists and feet.

"Easy target, easy target, easy-weak-fucking-target!"

His entire body trembled with the obnoxious mix of rage and fear. Even standing up was proving to be a difficult thing to do at this point in the tremors. He only knew one thing that would calm his body. _'Just a little wake-up call, that's it.'_ Frantically, still shaking, he clumsily looked around the newly messy room. He rifled through the drawers of the night stand, the bed spread, and under the mattress. There was nothing. He paused, then remembered the last place he had put it. Slowly, he moved the bed away from the wall and knelt on the floor. Then he ran his hands along the wooden border on the wall until he found the loose piece that when removed, revealed a tiny nook in the wall.

"_What?_ No! No, no, no! It's gone!"

"Was there something you were looking for, Krad?"

A sudden lock went underway between Krad's eyes, and the dark eyes of his "master." The ones that always made it obvious that he was at least a step ahead. There was always that arrogant glint telling him that Dark knew something that he didn't. His body was still trembling, but not from fear; the boy brought himself to his feet and tried to calm himself with basic deep breathing. The feeling of a hand gently cuffing around his wrist made him jump back right into the monster's other arm just as it locked around his stomach.

"Sad. I was under the impression that you'd kicked that nasty little habit. I remember your little _incident_. I could feel your life draining from you, and I must admit that it was quite painful for me as well. Along with the addition of," he pulled the locked wrist to his eyes and ran his thumb along the traumatized skin, "seeing your body scarred by _your_ hands."

"You know _nothing_!" Krad began to violently fight against the grip on his arm.

"Calm down."

"Well, what the _fuck_ do you think I was trying to do?!"

"Krad, stop yelling." He warned calmly.

"Do you really expect me to be calm in a place like this?!"

"I _said_ stop yelling, Krad." This time his tone was deeper and firmer. However, Krad didn't exactly register the words.

"Why me, huh? Why me?! Why not someone who had nothing to _begin_ with?! Instead you took _my_ life _away_ from me—_twice_!"

Dark, who was holding back as much as he could, took a tight hold of the prisoner's hair. Krad only responded with a short, but high pitched yelp as his face was drawn mere inches from his captor's. The grip tightened, and past images ran through his mind, reminding him, and warning him. Each one vivid in detail, and each one reminding him of why he had ever feared Dark in the first place. The uncontrollable shaking had been immediately tamed by the fear-stricken mind and body. He stood there motionless, waiting for the worst to happen. Instead, the grip pulled him to meet his ear with an arrogant and obviously irritated voice.

"You're a forgetful little thing, aren't you? I remember specifically saying that we were going to be _using_ our brains this time." He released the blonde locks roughly, pushing him backward. "This time I'll ask just to make sure." The blonde fell straight to his knees. "Do I make myself clear, Krad?"

The yelling and the harsh tone were too much for him. He found his only responding ability was a nod, but apparently one that had not been visible enough. Dark crouched in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders, and knocking him straight into the stone wall.

"Did I stutter?!"

"Yes, I understand! I understand!"

His hands shot up to cover his face, holding back loud sobs. It had been so long since this had been on his mind, let alone actually happen. Among his memories, he remembered the worst of it, and almost laughed at himself for reacting so much to a push into the wall. Other than that, his concentration was newly set on not upsetting the monster. A lesson that he had only just re-learned, but had learned a hell of a lot sooner than the first time. It was so different then; he was so stubborn...determined to make it out unbroken and with whatever dignity a child can have.

"Good."

There was a pause of silence, but only for a moment.

"And by the way…you were never an easy target."

Krad had chosen to ignore the comment due to the fact that he had nothing really on his mind to begin with. He hadn't actually really _heard_ what Dark had said, and that may have been a blessing for him. His master could only imagine the teen's reaction to the reason for his current and possibly permanent situation.

The door closed behind the beast, leaving the other to continue in his mindless trance with the bottom corners of the room. His outburst and the things that had followed it had, in no time at all, left him completely emotionless. After all, he couldn't have possibly seen a better way to get through this. His fits were not tolerated by any means. The only feelings he could show without consequences were the ones that were not rebellious in the least bit.

Outside the room, Dark sighed loudly, and made his way through the halls. He'd figured he should go check and see if Krad's brothers were awake. Not that there was much to be done if they were, since he'd just be leaving them the way they were. He didn't think there was any use in introducing himself. "Hello, I'm Dark, and I've kidnapped you—your brother as well, for a second time." A smirk pulled at his lips, and he laughed to himself. That would have been quite the introduction, and he would have most likely have been thoroughly amused by the looked that would appear on their faces. Confusion, fear, that famous this-is-just-some-dirty-trick-where-are-the-motherfucking-cameras look. He knew that one would show up. When he arrived, however, the two boys were still sound asleep.

Just as he was about to leave to the hallways again, he turned to meet Krad, who was standing still in the doorway. Unexpectedly, he looked content, almost even confident, with his eyes straight and level with Dark's. They looked at each other for quite a while before Dark figured out that he was going to have to start what could be a conversation.

"Was there something you wanted?"

"…I'm hungry." He said flatly.

Dark just smiled.

"Well, why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go."

When Krad had first involuntarily set foot in the kitchen of that place, he had wondered why Dark needed food, since he had such a swell time eating what stability Krad had left emotionally. He had just laughed, and responded simply, "Just because I'm not human, doesn't mean that I don't enjoy good tasting fruit and junk-food. I have taste buds, you know." It was actually oddly convenient for Krad, although he wouldn't have minded Dark having to either take him out somewhere, just so he could be out, or for him to leave to go get food every day. Instead, he acted like a normal human; shopping for food at least once every two weeks. Shopping being stealing, of course. Monsters don't have money, now do they? He did, however, recall one disastrous occasion where Dark had forgotten, basically, that he existed. He supposed that it was his fault for locking himself away in his room and only coming out if told to.

He snapped back from his memories, and followed Dark through the door to the kitchen. Like always, it was completely spotless. To him, it was funny; Monsters…clean? It made no sense. But then again, neither did him _trusting_ one. He shivered suddenly, brushed it off, and opened the fridge. Then, he made a grunting sound when he was lightly pushed out of the way. He looked into reddish eyes puzzled, and they smiled back at him.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll make it for you. How does that sound?"

**xXxXx**

Dark stared intently as the other practically inhaled the food that he had made for him. All the while, the only things running through his head were about how _easy_ this had been compared to last time. This time, the blonde put up zero to little fight. Last time it was probably one of the most difficult times he'd had gaining control over one of the people he had taken. After running through what he'd done, he realized that he was _only _lacking reactions because of his two brothers being involved. _Only_ because of them. He knew very well that Krad was a prideful creature, just like him. As soon as they were gone, he'd go back to defending himself, instead of being obnoxiously calm and obedient for their sake. He unconsciously smirked as he continued to stare off into space; now slightly excited for what was up ahead for Krad and himself when he brought his brothers home.

'_You never were an easy target. You've always done a damn good job of getting what you want.'_

He watched silently as Krad stood from the table and brought his dishes to the counter.

'_The thrill of the chase has always been just too much for me to control.'_

His smile grew wider when the blonde turned to look at him, and unknowingly to himself, he was smiling softly straight back at Dark.

'_By the end of this, your thought-process and sense of logic will be fucked six ways from last Tuesday. I'll be the only one with the answers for you to rely on.'_

* * *

"_Hello.  
Is there anybody in there?  
Just nod if you can hear me.  
Is there anyone at home?  
Come on, now  
I hear you're feeling down.  
I can ease your pain  
And get you on your feet again.  
Relax  
I'll need some information first.  
Just the basic facts  
Can you show me where it hurts?"_

**-Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb**


End file.
